Flydubai Co-Pilot Suspected in Attack Attempt Posted Violent Anti-Woman Content

New details emerging from Britain shed further light on the background of Hamam al-Hammami, the co-pilot suspected in the attempted attack on a Flydubai flight to Israel. A review of posts from an X account linked to him reveals a pattern of disturbing content justifying violence against women, including sexual humiliation and physical punishment, referencing Islamic law. The account, reportedly named "Pilot Hamam al-Hammami" with the handle @PilotHamam, contained statements such as "I would step on your head, wipe the floor with you, make an example of you to others and then divorce you" in response to a woman. In another post, the account defended a man who slapped a woman, calling it a "slap to the face" to redefine her boundaries, drawing a parallel to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The account also criticized a man for not attacking his wife when he found her talking to another man, stating that someone else would have "stepped on her head and made an example of her to others."

These posts were reportedly made while al-Hammami was studying aviation management remotely at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK, from Muscat, Oman. The university clarified that he did not undergo flight training there. This revelation follows previous reports of al-Hammami's online activity, including statements about killing Jews. It was also previously reported that he left Oman Air's pilot training program due to concerns about his extremist views, later moving to a different role within the company before continuing his career with other airlines until joining Flydubai.

Buckinghamshire New University announced it is reviewing al-Hammami's period of study there and expressed sympathy for the injured pilot, crew, and passengers involved in the incident. The newly exposed posts add to questions about prior warning signs, as these violent and extremist statements appeared online years before the incident on the flight to Israel.